University of 91吃瓜 psychologist is helping lead a $3.9 million Templeton Religion Trust聽grant that will support new research on civic virtues.
The Self, Virtue and Public Life Project,聽which began this week and runs through 2021, will fund research projects, conferences, edited volumes聽and community outreach activities.
Narvaez will be working with Nancy Snow 鈥� director of the University of Oklahoma鈥檚 Institute for the Study Human Flourishing, where the project will be based 鈥� to steer the grant and guide its educational interventions.
鈥淚t is a particularly opportune time to be funding projects focused on public virtue,鈥� said Narvaez, a professor in the whose research focuses on the development of well-being, morality聽and sustainable wisdom. 鈥淲e are all struggling to understand how to be virtuous in the public sphere in a globalized world with heated tempers and instant and easily misleading communication.鈥�
The research will include funding 10 new research projects of $190,000 each; two conferences for grant awardees to present their work; two edited volumes in 鈥淭he Virtues鈥� series; and two conferences for volume contributors to share ideas and interact,聽among other activities .
Community outreach activities funded by the grant include the Civic Virtues Project,聽which will integrate and study the effects of civic virtues education in courses taught in Oklahoma schools. A 鈥淭eachers鈥� Guide to Civic Virtue: Civility, Compassion and Fairness鈥� will be produced and made available on the project website.
Narvaez 鈥� who with Snow on virtue, character聽and the development of the moral self 鈥� is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association. Her recent book, "Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom," and , funded by the Foundation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Narvaez said she is eager to see the project support research teams taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying the way professional public servants, ordinary citizens聽and nonprofessionals in leadership roles demonstrate civic virtues.聽
鈥淭ruth is found in interdisciplinary work and transdisciplinary understandings,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am really looking forward to working with schools in Oklahoma on the virtues of civility, fairness聽and compassion.鈥�
Originally published by at on Sept. 6, 2018.